By the Water
by Tenriia
Summary: I love a boy who stands by the water, gazing out into the distance as the sun slowly sinks behind the trees. He doesn't know how I long to be more than just one of his most trusted friends… but I just don't know how to explain it to him. IvanxGretel/Anita
1. Black Heart

**{Hi Everyone! This is my first Harvest Moon Fanfic, but I am planning on writing more soon! Ivan is my favorite character in Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar for the Nintendo DS. He's so cute! Don't you agree? **

**I first came up with the idea for this while listening to Mine by Taylor Swift (a pretty decent song, if I do say so myself). It just occurred to me as I was listening to the lyrics that Ivan is always standing by the riverbank on sunny evenings... and part of the lyrics to "Mine" are: **

**_Do you remember we were sitting there, by the water_**

**_You put your arm around me, for the first time._**

**and I thought, "Wow, I must write a fanfic about this. It suits Ivan perfectly, I think. That's just my opinion.  
**

**So, this just had to be done. I hope you enjoy it! ~Tenriia}  
**

At first, what kept me going when I thought the move to Zephyr town was too tough was Ivan. All I would need to do to convince myself to stay was think of that bright spring day when I had my first real conversation with him… standing by the windmill on the riverbank, staring out into the current as if it were stealing time away. I watched him from across the river, wishing I could get the courage to join him. After a short time, his gentle blue eyes found mine, and I blushed with embarrassment, hoping he didn't realize I'd been staring.

"Good evening," His rich voice melted through the silence of the fading day, and I quickly walked over to him, not wanting the moment to pass.

"Hi," I said, rather shyly, "What are you doing out by the river today?"

"Oh, I was just watching the fish." He explained. I could not get over his voice. I had been nervous, but with every word he spoke I began to feel more calm and at ease. "I've been reading a lot about fish, so I wanted to observe some." He continued.

"You read? Oh, I love to read!" I exclaimed, happy to know that someone in this town shared the same interest as me.

Ivan smiled, an amazing smile that made the faint blush on my cheeks burn even brighter. I turned away quickly, which did nothing to conceal my embarrassment.

"Are you interested in fish?" He asked.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. I loved watching them shine in the water… and how they seemed to swim almost effortlessly, as though the water was as thin as air.

"Oh really? That's great." Ivan smiled again, this time letting a short laugh escape his lips. He must have been laughing at my haste in answering the question. I began to wonder if I was being overly excited. I blushed even harder due to that fact, but also because his laugh was the cutest laugh I had ever heard in my entire life.

"There's an amazing variety of fish in this river. I'll bet it'd be a great spot to do some fishing." Ivan said. So we sat by the river, talking about things that right now I can't even recall. I was just happy to be near him.


	2. Purple Heart

**{Hello! I forgot to mention, I based each of these chapters on Ivan's Heart Events in the game, Black, Purple, Blue, and Yellow. So if you were wondering why the dialogue seemed familiar, that's why! I used Ivan's dialogue from the game, and made up what I think my character probably responded with. I added a bit to Ivan's dialogue, too. Thanks for reading! And forgive any of the mistakes I may have made, but please let me know about them if you decide to review. **

**P.S: I love reviews. :-) ~Tenriia}**

**Spring 27, Year 1**

I awakened to the soft chirping of birds outside my window. After about a month of farm life in Zephyr Town, I was beginning to get quite fond of the place. I leapt out of bed and stretched, smiling at the anticipation of another beautiful sunny day. After racing out the front door and watering my last batch of crops for the season, I immediately ran down the long, winding path to the center of Zephyr Town. As I ran, I was hoping with all my heart to see one of my only close friends in this unfamiliar town. I ran up to his house and knocked, anticipation and excitement coursing through me. _Please be home, please be home…_

A smile immediately formed on my lips as the door swung open.

"Please, come in," his familiar voice was like music to my ears.

"Hello," Ivan said, smiling his amazing, genuine smile that I had come to love (fairly quickly, I must admit). "Please, come with me, I want to show you something." He led me into the living room, a room I hadn't paid much attention to before. My eyes widened in amazement, and I couldn't believe it hadn't caught my eye before. The room was filled to the brim with tons of books in stunningly beautiful bookshelves.

"Wow! Where did you get all of these books?" I asked curiously, still staring around the room in wonder.

"Oh, these are my dad's books." Ivan said, clearly amused with my reaction. "He left me his library."

"This is amazing, Ivan!" I exclaimed. "Does Dirk read them, too?"

"No, Dirk doesn't read too often," Ivan said, and an amused smile shone on his lips for a second, as if he were thinking about Dirk's stubborn nature and repulsion at the mere thought of books. "so I read them all, and tell Dirk what they're about."

"Wait… do you and Dirk live alone?" I asked him. It was the first time I'd asked him a personal question like that.

"I'm his older brother, but I also have to raise him," Ivan explained, and I could see his smile slowly fading. "I'm all he's got, since our parents are gone…" He turned away from me and faced the books, as if he were trying to hide his expression from me.

Seeing Ivan upset was giving me an uncomfortable knot in my stomach, and a stabbing pain in my chest. I wanted to reach out and comfort him somehow, but I didn't know what to do. We stood in silence for a moment. "We… we should talk about something else, I guess." He stammered, turning back to me.

"That must be really hard on you, Ivan." I told him. I wanted him to know that I was there for him… that if he needed to talk to someone, I'd always be there.

"Thank-you for your understanding." Ivan said, smiling at me and letting our eyes lock. I felt like all the wind had been knocked out of me. He was too good... too perfect for me.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." I smiled back.

"Thank-you. Thank-you so much. You have no idea how much that means to me." Ivan said softly, as if I wasn't really meant to hear it. "Well, you know… Dirk had even less time with our parents than I did. That's why I want to make sure that he grows up right. We're all the family we've got!"

Before that moment, Ivan had never told me about his parents. I hadn't known they were gone…

And at that moment I knew that what I wanted more than anything in the world was to take all of his pain away. I knew it would be impossible, but I would do everything in my power to try.


	3. Blue Heart

**Summer 8, Year 1**

The town was really starting to grow on me. As I walked down the path past the waterfall, I began to notice Zephyr Town's stunning beauty. It was truly a great place to live. I had just taken a little while to get used to it, since it was so different from my hometown. And I knew now that no matter what, I couldn't leave… I couldn't leave Ivan now. We had grown so close in the Spring season. I couldn't find a better friend if I searched for a lifetime.

But deep down, I knew that he was more than a friend to me. Your heart doesn't skip a beat when your eyes lock with a _friend's_. Your heart doesn't tear in two when you see your _friend_ with another girl. When a _friend_ speaks, you don't long to press your lips to theirs. To interlock your fingers with theirs as you walk together. I knew that my feelings for Ivan were past platonic.

So as I approached the bridge leading to Zephyr town, I stopped dead in my tracks, and it felt as though my heart did as well. Ivan was leaning against the side of the bridge, staring down into the depths of the river. His cheek was resting on his hand, and his eyes seemed distant. I recognized his expression... he was thinking deeply about something. I was consumed by curiosity. What was on his mind?

He turned to me suddenly, and I saw that he looked upset. He quickly tried to cover it up with one of his sweet smiles, but I knew him better than that.

"Hello…" Ivan sighed, shifting his eyes away from me to look back down into the rushing water.

I had never seen him so down before.

"…What's wrong, Ivan?" I asked, before he could bring up a different topic.

Ivan sighed again, still staring at the water below and shaking his head in despair. "Well… I scolded Dirk the other day… I really lost my temper, and I was much harsher than I should have been. I feel terrible."

"Don't worry, Ivan. Sometimes it happens…" I replied, not quite sure what I could say to make him feel better.

Ivan finally turned to me, and I was relieved when I noticed his frown had disappeared, and in its place was his kind and genuine smile. "Are you trying to cheer me up?" He asked. He even laughed a little, obviously at my poor attempt at being comforting.

"Well… yes. I guess you could say that." I smiled back at him.

"You're right. Everyone loses their temper from time to time. But the fact remains that I was too harsh. I'll apologize to Dirk." He said, and he maintained a thoughtful smile as he spoke.

_Did I really cheer him up? Or is he just pretending to make me feel better? _I wondered, but his smile seemed truly genuine. I could usually tell when he wasn't being honest with his feelings.

I was abruptly torn from my thoughts by the sound of Ivan's gentle voice. "Talking to you always makes me feel better."

"Oh, well I'm happy to help." I said, and felt a blush creeping in on me, as was the usual when speaking to Ivan.

"I want you to know that… that I…" Ivan began, and took a hesitant step toward me. His cheeks sported a faint pink tinge that I hadn't noticed before. "Anita... I..." Was he blushing? I felt as if time had stopped and in my mind I imagined a million things that he could say to finish the sentence. Was he confessing to me?

What little self control I had was lost and I felt a blush spread across my face like wildfire. His captivating blue eyes, for a few moments, met with mine. They reminded me of the very river they were constantly gazing into. He seemed to be searching for the right words to say, and I was prepared to answer them with words I had been thinking practically since the day we met.

_I love you._

_I love you… _

"No, n-never mind…" Ivan stammered, suddenly whipping around to look into the river again. "You know, the children I tutor in the city are so different from the children here…"

The moment was lost. As we stood gazing into the river, all that I could think about was what he had been trying to say. What could have happened between us...

But at the same time, at the moment, I was content with simply being by his side.


End file.
